How to spot and avoid credit card skimmers

The moment I started seriously worrying about credit card and debit card skimmers wasn't when my entire bank account was transferred to Turkey, or when I had to replace a credit card three times in two months because of fraudulent charges. It was when I learned that stealing a credit card number is as easy as plugging in a magnetic strip reader into a computer and opening a word processor. Every swipe spit out the credit card number, with no extra setup required. More advanced devices to steal your information are installed by criminals directly on to ATMs and credit card readers. These are called skimmers, and if you're careful you can keep from being victimized by these insidious devices. Read more...